This is a bronze age stone carviing of a man on one side and a female on the other. They are located In Caldragh Cemetery on Boa Island, Lower Lough Erne. Northern Ireland

Shawn Williams/Getty

Caldragh Graveyard


Spooky, moss-grown Caldragh Graveyard contains the intriguing Dreenan Figure. It's often called a Janus figure, but it's actually two separate figures placed back to back. It's thought to date from the early Christian period and perhaps represent the war goddess Badhbh, a frightening figure in local folklore. Nearby is a smaller figure called Lusty Man, brought here from Lusty More island.

There's a sign indicating the graveyard about 1.5km from the bridge at the western tip of Boa Island.

The exact origins and meanings of the figures remain unclear. The Dreenan Figure, which has been in the graveyard since at least 1841, was believed for many years to date from the pagan Iron Age and be as much as 2000 years old; it's now thought to date from the early Christian period, from 500 to 1000 AD.

There's no information about the enigmatic figures at the graveyard itself.


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